Driving Lessons
by KissHerJack
Summary: Summary: Waring Park, Berkshire for a country wedding. What could be wrong with that? Absolutely nothing… except the Doctor can’t shake this funny feeling… Next in my UNSEEN AND IN BETWEEN Series. 10/Rose fluffy sweetness for a bit
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Driving Lessons**

Author: Gail R. Delaney

**Series: The Unseen and In Between**

Setting: Between _Age of Steel_ and _The Idiot's Lantern_

Genre: Fluffy Romance with no real plot except to have some fun. A couple poignant moments, but nothing to bring you down.

Spoilers: None. This is not related to any episode or particular storyline for the NEW Doctor Who stories. A spoiler for _Earthshock_, a Classic Fifth Doctor story.

Rating: PG-13 for Innuendo

Disclaimer: Not mine. If I owned Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant would be my own private little playmates.

Summary: Waring Park, Berkshire for a country wedding. What could be wrong with that? Absolutely nothing… except the Doctor can't shake this funny feeling…

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"Now, Rose. You have to remember that flying the TARDIS isn't about a list of steps — procedures — it's about _feeling_ her." He stood behind her, pressed against her back, as they both leaned over the controls. He spoke close to her ear and took her right hand, curling it around one of the levers along the console. "You can give her coordinates, but it's _your_ job to help her."

"By the amount of times you've landed us in the wrong place or wrong time, I'm guessing you don't do a good job of helping."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, tip of her beautiful pink tongue peeking between her teeth. With a wicked grin, Rose pushed her bottom back against him.

"I'll have no sass from you, Miss Tyler. Do you want to learn to fly, or not?"

Rose pulled a more serious face, nodding her head as she straightened. "Yes, sir." Her shift in stance only served to bring her ear closer to his lips and he nudged at her hair with his nose.

She had a brilliant gift for distraction.

"What do I do now?"

The Doctor cleared his throat, attempting to focus on the task at hand. But, it wasn't easy with her body pressed back against him. Of course, it was entirely necessary. Teaching someone to drive the TARDIS was like teaching to shoot billiards, or play cricket. It was best taught hands on, usually in close proximity so the teacher could guide the student.

_Yes, that would work well as an argument should the need arise. Brilliant, really._

"Close your eyes, Rose. And rest your hands on the console."

"That's not how you do it." She looked at him, incredulous but grinning.

"Yes, well… I've been flying this ship for eight centuries. When you've been doing it that long, you get a feel for things. Now, go on then. Do as I say."

Rose smirked, and leaned forward again, laying her hands beside the Power Recoil Oscillator and the Reflux Vent Valve. He angled his body over her, sliding his hands down her arms until they covered her own fingers.

"Now, open your mind. You're not just listening to the sound of the engines, but to the TARDIS. Understand?"

Rose nodded, and released a slow, deep breath through pursed lips. Her shoulders relaxed and she lowered her head. With a snap and a flash, their minds were together, listening to the same sounds and sensations. It was becoming second nature for them, and she was very good at opening herself to the mental connection.

He was very proud of her.

_Thank you._

The Doctor smiled, and moved one of his hands from the console to her waist, pressing her back against him.

_You're not focusing, Doctor_.

_Oh, but you're wrong. I'm very focused. _He blinked and looked down at them, where her bottom pressed back against him. "And I'm either _very_ aroused right now, or your bottom is _vibrating_." He shrugged one shoulder, protruding his lower lip. "Could be both, actually."

Rose straightened and turned in the tight space between him and the console, lifting one knee to rest on the console edge. She tugged at his tie with one hand to bring him flush against her again — _he really did enjoy the abundant tactile aspect of their relationship _— and took her phone from her back pocket with the other.

"It's Mum."

The Doctor scowled, pushing his hands into his pockets. "I knew it was a mistake to give her the new number."

She shoved his shoulder with a wide grin, and slid the phone open, putting it to her ear. "Hey, Mum."

He could hear Jackie Tyler's shrill voice carrying through the phone, the decibals so loud that Rose had to tip it away from her head. _"I didn't interrupt you saving some world or something, did I?"_

Rose laughed. "No, Mum. We're just sort of hoverin' in the Vortex."

He heard Jackie's huff. _"All gibberish to me. That fool Doctor puttin' all kind of daft things in your head. Honestly, Rose…_"

"Tell her I can hear her — I can _hear_ you, Jackie!" he shouted in the general direction of Rose's phone.

Rose put a finger to his lips. "Did you need something?"

"_Not me. I'm just passing on a message."_

"From who?"

"_Shireen Johnson. She's gettin' married, and even though she hasn't heard word one from you since you took off with __him__, she asked me to hunt you down and ask you to the weddin'. Marryin' an engineer, she is. Spending' his dosh on a fancy evenin' wedding. Done pretty good for herself."_

Rose's eyes shifted to the Doctor, then away as she cleared her throat. "You goin'?"

"_Why? She wasn't __my__ mate, she was yours. So, when she calls, what do I tell her? Sorry, Rose can't come… she's off with an alien travelin' in a tiny blue box."_

"Mum, did you call to start a row or to tell me about the wedding?"

The Doctor heard Jackie's heavy sigh. "_I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's just been one of those days. My deposit was £35 short, Eduardo down at the parlor used the wrong dye on my hair, and your gran has been under the weather. Then Shireen rings me and I didn't know what to tell her."_

"Tell her we'll go," the Doctor whispered, leaning toward Rose.

She looked up, her brow pulled tight in her typical 'What did you just say?' expression. "What?"

"_What'd you say, sweetheart?"_

"Hang on, Mum." She covered the phone with her hand. "What'd you say?"

"Tell your mother to tell Shireen we'll be there."

Rose's mouth dropped open, and he grinned with satisfaction. He rather liked shocking Rose. And he was quite good at it.

"Seriously. Doctor, it's a _wedding_. The _ultimate_ in domestic."

He took the phone from her hand, kissing her with a quick smack of his lips before putting the phone to his ear. "Jackie. Tell Shireen we'll be there. Rose plus one." To Rose, he said "Look! I get to be _your_ plus one!" Back to Jackie, "Tell me where and when?"

"_Wasing Park in Berkshire, a fortnight from Friday."_

"Splendid. Nice talking. Good luck with the hair." He just caught Jackie's sputtering as he closed the phone and disconnected. "Wasing Park. Wasing Park. Sounds lovely. Also sounds very familiar," he mumbled. He checked the date on the phone before setting it back in Rose's hand and moved around her to program the coordinates. "Evening wedding, probably semi-formal, don't you think? Your mother would have said if it were black tie, though… I haven't had the chance to dig out my cummerbund in _years_. You'll have to dig around a bit in the wardrobe. I'm afraid the early-twenty-first-century eveningwear is a bit lacking, but I'm sure you can find something lovely."

Rose stood in the same spot, staring at him. The Doctor went around to her again, standing close enough that he barely had to lean in to kiss her cheek. "You're not going to be ready if you stand here all day."

"A wedding," she reiterated. "You're going to a wedding. A bloody wedding."

"I've set the general coordinates, but we won't land until you're ready."

"Doctor…"

"Do you, or do you not want to go to your friend's wedding?" he asked very slowly, arching an eyebrow to her.

She smiled then, and with a happy squeal, threw her arms around him. Not being one to ever turn down a hug from Rose Tyler, he hugged her back and smiled smugly as she ran from the console room.

As soon as she was gone, he let his shoulders droop and dropped the smile. "Oh, bloody hell," he mumbled, turning back to the console to initiate the slow converse back to Earth, 2006. "I'm rubbish at weddings."

The TARDIS' laughed at him, and he scowled.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm almost ready," Rose called from the bathroom as she gave herself one final look-over in the wall-to-wall-to-ceiling mirror.

"No worry of us being late," the Doctor said from the bedroom. "One of the nice things about having a time machine."

Rose smoothed her hands over the black silk cocktail dress, loving the way it draped perfectly. The Doctor had been right, there wasn't much to choose from in the wardrobe, but once she saw this dress, she knew it was perfect. Simple but elegant, the dress had a square neckline and elbow length sleeves with tailored pleats from the neckline to the fitted waist. The cut was flattering and the hem ended just past her knees. The skirt was just full enough to swish around her calves when she walked. She turned sideways and tipped her foot, checking out the strappy, high-heeled sandals she'd chosen. They were the most comfortable shoes she'd ever owned other than her trainers, and she wondered what kind of magic the TARDIS worked with them.

Her hair was swept up off her neck in a loose twist, held in place by a black sequined clip. Rose had let her hair air dry, allowing the natural curl to kink her hair so bits framed her face, falling free from the clip. It was a look Eduardo at her Mum's parlor called 'rumpled chic' and Rose liked to call 'shag sexy'. It _looked_ like she'd just twisted her hair up after an afternoon of being in bed, but in actuality, it'd taken a good half-hour to manage the twist.

The Doctor knocked softly on the bathroom door just as she slid the tip of her lipgloss over her lips. "Come on in, I'm just finishing."

She watched the door in the mirror as he opened it and stuck his head in. "Just checking whether I can go ahead and… I…" Rose turned slowly, setting one hand on her hip, giving him her best seductive smile. He blinked, his gaze moving over from head to toe, and again. "I… you…" The Doctor laughed, almost nervously, and let go a goofish grin. "You are _stunning_. I mean, you're always beautiful… but…"

Rose crossed the marble floor, focusing on her walk to best utilize the dress without slipping on the tiles that weren't designed for strappy sandals. "Thank you. Come on then, let me see."

She gave herself credit for not melting into a pile of Sexy-Doctor-Induced-Goo on the floor when he finished pushing the door open. It seemed that he'd read her mind when it came to attire, because he'd changed into a black suit, with a sharp black shirt and black silk tie. The effect was… _wow, it was hot in here!_

"Works, eh? I assumed I'd have to give up the regular suit just for tonight. Love the suit, but it doesn't quite say 'Evening Wedding', does it?"

"Mmmmmm, this one certainly saying _something,_" Rose said low in her throat. She ran her hand over the smooth fabric of the black satiny material, leaning into him so his back hit the doorjamb, and released the two jacket buttons. The Doctor hissed softly when she slid her hands over his sides.

He dipped his head and kissed her, taking the step to shift their position to put her against the jamb, his hand cushioning the back of her head. Their mouths opened together, and Rose tipped her head, opening herself to allow his tongue entry. The Doctor moved them together out of the doorway into the bedroom, so the solid wall was behind her.

The kiss was quickly accelerating to the 'point of no return', and they both seemed to realize it at the same time. His lips gentled and slowed until the long, deep kiss reduced to a series of short kisses until he turned his head and slid their cheeks against each other, both breathing hard with the rapid arousal that overtook them nearly whenever they touched.

"Promise me," he said near her ear. "That this will continue later."

Rose slid her hands to his back beneath the jacket. "Promise."

With one last kiss to her lips, the Doctor stepped back and offered his hand. Rose released a happy sigh, and slid her palm across his to wrap her fingers around his. They stopped briefly in the console room, and he flipped the final switch to initiate landing. With a gentle bump, they landed and the engine pistons slowed. Taking her hand again, they stepped out of the TARDIS, finding themselves tucked into the corner of a beautiful country garden that reminded Rose of Sarah Jane Smith's cottage garden, times about one hundred. The air was fragrant with so many wonderful aromas Rose couldn't begin to differentiate them all. She just inhaled deeply, and smiled.

A path wound through the garden leading up the hill to a stone and timber structure that looked like it might have once been a barn or other similar building. As they neared the garden gate, they saw a circular drive along which a dozen or more cars were parked, and other wedding attendees walked along the drive toward the building.

"Looks to be the place," the Doctor said, his hand against the small of her back to keep her from stepping wrong on the stone path. "So, tell me what I need to know. Are you and Shireen childhood mates?"

Rose smiled, immediately recalling all the trouble she and Shireen had caused together, and all the fun they'd had. Sleepovers and movies, parties and playing hookie. The times they fought until they hated each other, and the times they stood by each other when someone else tried to do wrong by one of them. A sudden wave of guilt hit her.

"Yeah," she finally answered. "We did everything together. When I left school, she was the only person who didn't write me off."

The Doctor's brow pulled down heavy over his eyes and he looked at her sideways as they finally cleared the path to walk along the drive. "I didn't know you left school."

Rose's cheeks burned and she looked down. "Not exactly something I'm proud of. I was studying for my A-Levels, and everything. I even took a couple honor courses."

"I have always said you are clever."

Rose laughed wryly. "Not so clever that I didn't let a bloke…" She started to explain, but thought differently, shaking her head. "So, I ended up in a shop until this fella showed up out of nowhere and blew it up." Rose looked up at him, smiling.

"Lucky man." He stopped their walk, turning her to face him so he could press a long kiss to her forehead. "_Very _lucky man." The Doctor left his lips against her skin, touching her cheeks with his fingertips.

"So, it's not bad enough that I was just a nineteen year old shop girl when you picked me up, but I was a drop out, too?"

"Didn't exactly ask to see your resume, did I?" Rose shook her head. "Besides, can't say much, can I? Didn't exactly pick up the cap and gown before I went off to see the Universe." The Doctor tipped his chin and bent his knees just enough to look her straight in the eyes. "I told you once, a long time ago, that I only take the best with me."

Rose smiled, loving the way he looked at her, honestly making her believe the pride he said he felt in her. She curled her fingers into the satin of his lapel, not enough to wrinkle, but enough to urge him closer. The kiss was much more subdued than their usual snogs in the TARDIS, but Rose found it hard to go too long in his presence without a good kiss. Granted, it'd only been fifteen or twenty minutes, but that was long enough. His thumbs stroked the corners of her lips as his mouth moved slowly and meticulously over hers.

"Keep that up, Rose Tyler, and you're going to make the bride jealous."

Rose giggled softly as she pulled back from the kiss, meeting the Doctor's gaze briefly before she turned toward the voice. Marcie Walker stood just a few meters away with a man she thought she might have known from school, but couldn't put a name to his face. Despite everything the Doctor had just said, a prickle of unease danced up her spine. She and Marcie hadn't been enemies in school, but they hadn't exactly been friends. The only reason they associated at all was because she was Shireen's cousin.

"Good to see you, Marcie," she said politely, smiling earnestly as the Doctor's hand slid down her spine to rest on her bottom out of the view of Marcie and her date. She cleared her throat. "How have you been?"

"Oh, fine. Getting married myself this winter. Do you remember Billy?"

The light of recognition went off. "Oh, sure! Billy Jenkins. Congratulations."

"Yes. Congratulations," the Doctor said behind her. He took his hand from her bottom, extending it past her to Billy. "Doctor John Smith. Pleased to meet you."

Marcie's penciled eyebrows arched. "_Doctor_ Smith?" She looked down at his hand as he shook Billy's. "Are you a surgeon?"

"No, I'm not a medical doctor. I'm a doctor of science." Rose watched him from the corner of her eye, grinning, waiting to see how far he would take the story this time. He hadn't even dug out the psychic paper yet. "Theoretical Astrophysics. Rose and I are studying…" His eyes shifted to her briefly, a dimpled grin curving his lips. "Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

Marcia did her best to look like she understood exactly what the Doctor said, nodding and giving an '_Isn't that interesting!_' glance to her fiancée. "That sounds intriguing. I didn't realize you'd gone on to such academic things, Rose. I mean, last I _saw_ you, you were with that musician… what was his name?" she asked of Billy.

"Jimmy Stone," he provided.

Rose winced inside, but refused to allow anything to show on her face. The Doctor's hand slid across her back to curl around her waist, drawing her to his side.

"Hey, isn't that who—"

Marcie barreled over whatever Billy had intended to say. "And last I _heard,_ my mother said your mother told the butcher you'd run off with an older man and she barely saw you. Course, that was after you disappeared for a year. After Jimmy, I figured the older man would be a bit more…" She looked at the Doctor. "Smarmy. No offense, of course. You're not what we expected."

"I hardly ever am. Come on, love. We should get inside…" His words trailed off, and Rose looked across her shoulder at him. He looked down the drive to the copse of trees that ran along the property, squinting as if watching something. Rose followed his train of vision, but only caught a quick glimpse of branches shifting as perhaps someone disappearing into the trees.

"Something wrong, Doctor?"

He poked at the inside of his cheek, still staring past Marcie and Billy. "Just thought I recognized someone." In a blink, his expression switched back to a wide grin, and he took her hand. "No worries. Nice meeting you, Marcia was it? Billy? Enjoy the wedding. Good luck on your own, I'm sure you'll need it."

His last words were over his shoulder as they headed up the hill to the building. Rose laughed as she quickened her pace to keep up with his long stride. "You are so cheeky. Theoretical Astrophysicist studying time and relative dimension in space?"

The Doctor winked at her. "Use big enough words and the small minded stare in wonderment. And that one…" He jerked his head in the direction behind them. "Looked about as small minded as they get."

An usher dressed in a black tuxedo met them at the large arch leading to what Rose could only call the sanctuary of the building. If this place hadn't been a church, it should have been. It was amazing, with a cathedral ceiling four stories over their heads held in place by massive crisscrossed beams. The walls were brick and wood, some old and faded, others still covered with whitewash that couldn't be stripped away, and amongst the old were new, red bricks.

White folding chairs draped with ribbon sat in neat rows facing the far end of the space, and a platform waited for the bride and groom, covered with bunches of fresh flowers that filled the space with their scent.

"Bride or groom?"

"Bride," Rose answered, and the usher pointed them down the aisle to where they could sit.

Rose had to lead the Doctor, because his head was tipped back, his mouth open as he took in the details of the structure. "Oh, this is _beautiful."_ She loved that he found beauty in sometimes the most mundane or unusual things. Clockwork Men and werewolves, and old brick barns. "Whoever picked this place, good on ya."

Before they edged their way into a row of chairs, the Doctor stopped and rotated in a slow circle, his head still tipped back. When she saw his face, she saw it pinched with frustration. He worked his jaw side-to-side, squinting.

"That's the second time you've looked like that since we got here. Doctor, nothing weird is going to happen, right?"

"I don't know," he said, his voice almost distant. "I just get this niggling feeling in the back of my head. Déjà vu." Then he shrugged. "I supposed after nine-hundred years everything looks familiar. I much prefer vuja de."

Rose took her seat and he stretched out beside her, his arm immediately going behind her to rest along the back of the chair. His long fingers found the hem of her sleeve and slipped past it to touch her skin. She shifted toward him, resting her shoulder against the side of his chest.

"Vuja de?"

The strained look of moments before was gone when he looked at her, grinning. "The feeling like I've never done this before. I rather like not knowing what's coming. Much more fun."

Rose glanced around the quickly filling church before she curled her fingers into her skirt and slowly pulled the hem up her thigh until the lacey top of her stockings showed. "Did you know _this_ was coming, Doctor?"

He reached across his body to lay his hand over hers, sliding both it and the skirt back down her leg, releasing a hiss through his teeth. "_That_ was just_ cruel, _Rose Tyler."


	3. Chapter 3

He couldn't shake the feeling.

It was like spiders on the back of his neck, or something dancing on the edge of his peripheral vision… wagging its fingers and sticking out its tongue at him until the turned to see… and then disappearing in a puff of logic.

He was getting old and that was the only explanation he had. Gone too many places, seen too many things and his old brain was full. Not only did he have the history of every planet in his head, but he had to keep track of 800+ years of traveling? Impossible.

So, as Rose caught up with the friends that sat around them, he ran through his head what he knew. The date… nothing spectacular about the date. The place… Waring Park… nope… no major historical events. Rose sings? She led a choir strike in secondary school?

_Focus_.

Hard to focus when he knew what was just under that skirt… or rather what _wasn't_ just under the skirt.

The Doctor shifted and cleared his throat. Rose slid a sidelong glance at him and he smiled, brushing his fingertips across the back of her neck where tendrils of hair had escaped the twisted clip. He liked her hair like this… reminded him how she looked after hours of… he cleared his throat again.

A string quartet began to play near the front of the hall, and everyone quickly moved to their seats. Rose leaned closer to him, tipping her head so her nose brushed his cheek when she whispered in his ear.

"You're doing it again."

"Yeah, well, that's because I'm thinking it again."

"What is it…. Another invasion? Mad scientist? Impending natural disaster?"

"Nooooooo…." He said slowly, dragging the word out even as he scowled out the window. "Nothing so sinister, I don't think."

"That's reassuring."

The ceremony began, and the Doctor stood with everyone else to watch the bride enter the hall. She was a robust woman with rich, dark skin that showed as a sharp contrast to the frothy, white dress she wore. A man – he assumed her father – led her down the aisle.

Why humans felt the need for such pomp, he never knew. No one here probably realized that just a few hundred years earlier, a 'marriage' consisted of two people saying out loud that they intended to be together forever. Simple as that. No one even needed to hear, just the two of them.

As far as those traditions went, he and Rose were married.

He blinked, and shifted his attention to Rose. She watched with a wide grin as her friend walked by, and a pleasant warmth spread between the Doctor's hearts. Somewhere along the way, he had not only learned to love a human, but he'd apparently turned into a sentimental fool. He laid his hand on her shoulder, stroking the cool silk of her dress, and she smiled up at him.

Just about the time the bride and her escort reached the row where the Doctor and Rose stood, a loud clattering from the entry hall drew everyone's attention. The music stalled as the musicians tried to see. A young woman with wavy brown hair stopped briefly in the doorway, scanning the room.

The Doctor's hearts seized and he stared. "Oh, no…Nyssa."

"What is it?" Rose demanded, tugging at his arm to get his attention. "Doctor?"

Then Nyssa… because there was no doubt in his mind that the woman standing there was Nyssa of Traken… turned away and screamed… "DOCTOR!!"

Rose looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Doctor?"

He released a breath through his snarled lips. "I _knew_ this place looked familiar."

And then there he was, dressed in that _ridiculous _floppy hat, raggy coat and _impossibly _long scarf wrapped around his neck half a dozen times. Wild hair, wilder eyes and big teeth. _Bloody hell... what part of his genetic soup thought __that __combination might be a good idea? _ He practically bounded into the hall, raising a hand.

"Hello. Don't mind me. You may carry on momentarily. But, perhaps if you could all please look around your feet. I'm attempting to locate a rather large, rather fast moving rodent and if someone could possibly let me know if you--"

One of the ladies on the other side of the hall screamed and attempted to jump up into her chair, knocking down three others and nearly ripping her companions necktie clear off. A woman in the aisle behind her also screamed, trying to scramble away... and Teeth and Hair ran forward. With a sweep of his coat and a flip of his scarf as he bent over, he straightened again with a wide grin on his face and a _rather large _rodent by the tail.

The rodent was, of course, blue. The Doctor hissed a "Yes, of course... Kropak Three. Stupid little buggers stowed away in the TARDIS. Ate half my stock of jelly babies."

Rose had taken a step back so her back was against him, and she looked up, scowling. "What are you talking about?" The Doctor avoided answering, knowing it would just lead to a list of questions the length of his arm. Rose's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. She looked from him to the other him, and back to him. "No. Way."

"Rose..."

"That's... _you_."

"Shush!" he hissed, putting his finger to his lips, then decided it was more effective to cover _her_ lips, not his. "Keep your voice down or I'll hear you."

Rose smirked, looking his former self up and down, and then back to him. The Doctor felt his ears burn at the scrutiny. She chuckled, but hid her mouth behind her hand. He scowled and pushed his hands into his pockets.

"I told you I wasn't always this good looking."

Rose was trying so hard to hold back her laughter that her cheeks were bright red, her shoulders shook, and her eyes watered. Small sounds — akin to sobs — kept squeezing past her covered lips, and he couldn't look at her, feeling the laughter stir in his own chest.

"It's not funny," he tried so say with a straight face, but it only seemed to fuel her.

She was practically hiccuping, trying not to burst out loud, and drawing more attention in avoiding it than if she probably just let it out. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, patting her head as if comforting her.

"She's fine. Just fine," he told the many faces currently turned in their direction. "Just a deep seeded fear of rodents. Stems from a childhood trauma when her gerbil decided to crawl into her bed. Thrashed about so much, little Gerard—" Rose choked, turning her face into his collar. He squeezed tighter. "—didn't make it. Haunts her to this day, poor thing."

"No fear, my good lady. We will be off in short time," Teeth and Hair declared.

Nyssa appeared in the doorway again. "Doctor," she said with a theatrical whisper. "We saw another go behind the building. We think it's heading back to the TARDIS."

"Right." The _other_ Doctor held up the rodent, who was still squirming and attempting to escape. "We're off. Go about your business."

Rose seemed to finally compose herself, and pulled out of his hold, wiping her fingers delicately under her eyes. She was breathing hard, and her cheeks were still flushed.

"Should we go help?"

The Doctor sniffed and shook his head. "Not necessary. I have everything quite in hand, as I recall. Nothing too threatening. The rodents of Kraken Three are voracious eaters, so the only thing in mortal danger here is the buffet."

"Don't you want to... I don't know... go say hello?"

He shook his head again. "Not a good idea."

"Why? Is it like a paradox?"

"Only if the _same_ regeneration appears in the same place at the same time. My mind is the same, but my cells are different so the universe doesn't recognize me as an anomaly."

"So, why is it a bad idea?"

"It just is." By not meeting her eyes, and staring across the hall toward the door, he hoped he looked resolved and stern.

"It just is," she grumbled in a mock serious tone. Rose bumped his side with her arm. "Come on, then. Tell me why? What would it hurt? _Oh, hello! Look at me! This is what you've got to look forward to, my friend._"

His _face_ wanted to smile so much it hurt, but he managed to avoid it by not looking at her. "First, it's not a good idea for the past me to see you."

"Why not?"

"Because _that_ me doesn't know you, and by meeting you now it might influence my decision later to ask you to come with me."

"How do you know that is the reason you _did_?" She arched a single eyebrow, nodding as if to say '_See?'_.

"Because I don't remember you. Not in connection with this place."

"Doctor, you barely remembered being here at all. You might have met me, and completely forgot me."

"Exactly. Rose, if I had seen you _ever_ before that basement in Henrick's, I would remember. Forgetting you…" He touched her cheek, smiling. "That is impossible."

"Okay, you said first... is there a second?"

"I don't remember meeting _me_. And that's usually something one remembers."

"Anything else?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "I don't usually get along."

"Get along. You don't get along with _yourself?_"

"Not really, no."

The minister at the front of the hall announced they would begin the service again, hopefully without interruption, and everyone shuffled back to their seats. Chairs were set back into haphazard rows, some of the ribbons broken and lying across the floor. As they sat, he thought that he'd avoided answering her question. No such luck. Rose had a bone, and she wasn't letting go.

"Have you done this before? Bumped into yourself?"

He jerked his head to the side. "Weeellll, bumped might be the wrong word. But, sufficed to say I have shared the same space with myself more than once. And on occasion, with a rather large crowd of…" He tucked his chin toward his chest, puffing his cheeks. "Me. It's rather like being schizophrenic, I imagine. Except, I can see me quite clearly."

Rose pulled her lips into a small purse, one elegant eyebrow raised slightly. The Doctor knew that face, and it usually meant that she was about to ask for something completely outrageous or suggest something for which he would probably thank her for later. Usually, while he waited for his hearts to find a steady rhythm again with her lying in bed beside him.

"What…"

"I'm just curious. If the previous you, the _you_ I first knew, had met the you of now, you'd know, right? I mean, it would have already happened, right?"

"In theory, yes."

She grinned wickedly, the tip of her tongue peeking between her teeth. "Hmm, that might be interesting."

The Doctor's jaw dropped. "Rose Tyler!"

She laughed, resting her head against his shoulder and he kissed her hair.

Rose settled into contemplative silence beside him as the hall was rearranged and Shireen exited again. He took up his preferred position beside her, arm behind her with his fingertips just finding the edge of her sleeve so he could touch skin. Human skin was so warm, and her skin was like silk.

The Doctor looked down at her, studying the curve of her ear through the veil of curled hair with rapt attention. It was quite a lovely ear, and he knew from experience that approximately five centimeters below her lobe was a spot that made her squirm. She was beautiful, and she was enough to make a Time Lord break all the rules.

And he had. Time and time again. Sometimes multiple times a night, a feat for which he was quite proud.

But, that was precisely why his previous self could never know who she was or what she meant to him. Because while the him sharing the space with them would probably scoff him for his dalliance (after all, Sarah Jane had not left him all that long ago at this point, and whether he admitted it or not, she had meant more than most), this was not the him of the past he worried about.

After the War, if he had known there was some beautiful young girl – human or not – that would see past his darkness and heal him, who would see him as something other than a purveyor of genocide, he would have run. He would have avoided her, Autons or not. He would have never asked once, let alone twice. Because he wouldn't have let her be near him. He had believed he wasn't worth healing.

Not that he really believed it now, most of the time.

She looked up at him, and something in his eyes must have made her pause. Rose reached up and touched his jaw. "What?"

"You're beautiful."

Rose smiled and leaned up to kiss him. "It's a good thing, you know."

"What is?"

"That I met you when I did." She grinned wide. "What's with the scarf?"

"I have no idea." He finally let himself chuckle, smiling. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."


	4. Chapter 4

"No, no, NO!" Rose argued, nearly choking on her mouthful of wine. "I did _not _make you go streaking through Henrick's. That was _all_ you, Stacey."

"Apparently," the Doctor added with a grin.

Stacey blushed a deep crimson, which Rose just considered payback. Stacy, Natalie, and even Marcie and Billy, had been pulling every embarrassing story from her childhood they could think of from the choir strike to the many times they'd play truth or dare. And Rose just loved dares, so there were plenty of stories, except that the four storytellers liked to exaggerate the details.

"Don't believe half this, Doctor. I wasn't nearly that wild."

"Oh, bollocks," Marcie cut in. "I heard all the stories."

"And that's what it was! Stories! Gossip. If I'd done half the things the four of you are talking about, I'd still be locked in my room." She looked to the Doctor. "You really think Mum would let me get away with this?"

The Doctor snorted. "Not in a million years."

"See?" she declared, looking around the table! "Now, come up with some true stories."

"Is it true you sing?"

Rose looked to the Doctor again, who had taken up a casual position in his chair, having finished eating. Though, Rose was pretty sure he ate more of the frosting off her piece of cake than she did. He leaned toward her, his arm across the back of her chair, his thumb brushing the spot between her shoulder blades every few moments.

She immediately shook her head. "Nah, just in the choir. It was something to do after school."

"Are you nutters?" Stacey shouted, probably a little too loudly because several people turned to look in their direction. She laughed and took another sip of her fourth glass of wine before setting it down again, nearly tipping it into her beef Wellington. "You were the best singer that choir had seen in years! You could have been Billie Piper!"

Rose wanted to argue the point, but the look in the Doctor's eyes held her silent. A slow smile, the one she called his 'secret smile', touched his lips and his eyes were bright. "I'd love to hear you sing. We have a conservatory. The acoustics are perfect."

"That was a long time ago."

"You sang with Jimmy," Marcia said, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm, and Rose wondered what she's ever done to get on the woman's wrong side. Course, Marcia might just be the type of person who enjoyed causing trouble. "That wasn't all that long ago. What, four years?"

"A lot has happened in four years."

"You can say that again," the Doctor mumbled under his breath, leaning a little closer to her so only she heard what he said. "End of the world. Nanogenes. New faces. Werewolves…"

Rose rested her forehead against the side of his throat, hiding her smile. He turned into her and kissed her brow.

"Get over it, Marcia. You're not going to bother Rose with Jimmy Stone. Can't you see the woman is thoroughly loved and in love? Who cares about a washed up wedding singer when you can have someone look at you like _that_."

His arm came snugger around her shoulders, and Rose scooted closer to him. She tipped her head back and smiled. And he was… looking at her like _that_, and her stomach warmed.

"Miss Tyler, may I have this dance?"

"Sounds lovely."

He pushed his chair back and offered Rose his hand. "Ladies, Billy, it was nice talking with you. Thank you very much for sharing some fantastic stories, many of which I'm sure I will be using as blackmail later." Rose nudged his side, and he grunted softly. "But, it has been four hours, thirty-two minutes and forty-seven seconds since I've been alone with Rose and I'm feeling a bit peckish."

"Doctor!" Rose gasped, pushing him away from the table.

As they stepped away, she heard Marcia ask the others "Does anyone else think it's odd she calls him 'Doctor' instead of his name?"

He took her hand and they weaved together through the tables, and Rose waved at Shireen at the head table. Shireen waved back. They hadn't had any time to really talk other than a couple quick hugs and a promise to talk again soon. The Doctor promised Shireen it wouldn't be three years before they talked again – he'd see to it. It was okay… she was happy to just be here.

There were only a few couples on parquet dance floor, and as the band played a slow dance song, the Doctor held her hand above her head and turned her slowly before circling her waist with his arm and pulling her close. He pressed the hand he held to his chest, covering it with his own as they swayed.

"You're better at this than you used to be."

"I'm better at a lost of things than I used to be." He said it matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious.

Rose groaned. "You wish."

The next song was faster, and he was able to show off his more intricate dance moves. By the end of the song, when he dipped her just as he had on the TARDIS in London with Jack watching, Rose was laughing and dizzy with all the spinning. When he pulled her against his chest, his own laughter rumbled through him and she rested her cheek against his lapel.

As the music slowed again, he pressed his hand into the small of her back to bring her flush against him and when she settled into his hold, the same hand slid down to just follow the curve of her bottom.

Rose enjoyed the tingle that danced up her spine, spreading into her limbs. "Overall, it's been a rather uneventful evening," she said before tipping her head back to look at him. "No running. A serious lack of running."

The Doctor looked out across the room, smiling before meeting her eyes. "It's not always about running. Sometimes, it's about enjoying. Speaking of which... I would very much enjoy hearing you sing."

Rose saw the gentling of his eyes again, just as they had at the table. Fir the first time in a very long time, Rose felt the rush of color in her cheeks. Why the thought of singing for him gave her nerves, she didn't know. She'd shared her mind and her body with him.

"On Gallifrey, we're raised to have a deep love of music in all forms. But, my favorite music is the voice… it's individual and imperfect, and yet the most beautiful thing in the world." The music continued, but their dancing stopped so the Doctor could lay his hands on her cheeks. Rose slid her arms around his waist, letting herself sink into the dark brown of his eyes. "You must be so beautiful when you sing."

The tangible weight of his voice wrapped around her like a velvet blanket. He bent to kiss her, but stopped before he did and looked behind her to the stage. "Rose."

"Yes?"

"What was the name of that bloke Marcie Whatserface kept mentioning?"

"Jimmy?"

"As in… Jimmy Stone and the Stoners?"

Rose looked over her shoulder and her jaw dropped. No wonder Marcie wouldn't let the topic go. And now Rose remembered something Stacey had said off-handed about Jimmy being a wedding singer. There he was… bad haircut, worn red jacket, and ratty boots… Jimmy Stone.

"Oh. My. God."

He watched them, and Rose felt the smallest pang of guilt at the look on his face. Not that she would have curbed her affection for the Doctor, but Jimmy had to think she was rubbing it in his face.

"I think perhaps I should go speak to him." The Doctor said, moving past her.

Rose grabbed his hand. "Doctor! Wait! Why? What are you going to say?"

He was smiling when he turned back. "Thank him, of course."

Rose paused, blinking. "Thank him?"

"Of course. Without him, you might have done something stupid like gone to University. And then where would I have been, eh? Eaten by the Nestene Consciousness? Or worse, been stuck with some idiot of a travel companion." He yanked her against him with a wicked grin, his hand immediately sliding to her bottom. "One not nearly as sexy."

Rose laughed and stepped backwards, pulling him with her by wrapping her fingers around the front of his jacket. "I think perhaps that conversation might require more explanation that you want to give. Besides…" She stopped walking to stand on her toes and whisper near his lips. "I think it's time we go home. I'm feeling a bit peckish, myself."

His grin was her answer. The Doctor took her hand and they did their best not to run from the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

They only stopped twice on the way back to the TARDIS for some frantic, groping, and breathless kisses. And the Doctor praised himself for his control. He dropped to one knee in front of Rose after their second snog against a tree, and helped her slip the ankle-breaking shoes off her stocking-clad feet. As she stepped onto the cool grass, she groaned, and the sound shot through him with the intensity of an electrical shock.

The snog when he stood, brushing his body the entire length of hers until his mouth found hers, still counted as the second stop as far as he was concerned.

He was engrossed by the way the moon lit her hair as they took the last corner to the TARDIS, so he had to look when Rose stopped short and whispered. "Doctor."

The Doctor stopped short, his attention shifting to follow her line of sight to the TARDIS… and the open TARDIS door with the light from inside spilling out onto the grass in a wide triangle.

He pushed her away from the TARDIS, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket for his sonic screwdriver. "Stay here," he whispered. "Rose, _stay here_."

She nodded, her eyes wide in the moonlight. The Doctor approached the TARDIS from the closed door side, keeping his back to the wood. When he reached the opening, he slowly eased his way to look inside. The console room was quiet, and appeared empty from his point of view.

Keeping the screwdriver at his side, he stepped in, scanning the space. It wasn't until he was half way up the ramp that he saw his visitor. And his hearts seized at the sight. Young Adric of Alzarius stood on the other side of the console, his head topped back staring at the ceiling where the engine pistol chamber disappeared.

The Doctor put the screwdriver away, and walked slowly up the ramp so as to not startle the young boy. He took a moment to take in the boy's face. Brown hair in desperate need of a cut, his school uniform smudged and dirty from their many adventures.

And alive.

"Adric," he said softly.

Adric jumped and backed away, hitting his back against one of the coral supports. "Who are you? Did you do this to the TARDIS?"

The Doctor held his hands up as he stepped closer. "It's all right, Adric. Listen to me." Adric's eyes darted as he looked around, probably trying to find the best way to get around the Doctor and out of the foreign ship. Foreign to him, at least in this form. "Adric," he said more firmly. "Are you listening? I'm the Doctor."

Adric's stare snapped back to him. "Don't be stupid."

"I know you don't know this about me yet, but Time Lords change. We regenerate. I'm another version of the Doctor that you are traveling with right now. You've found _my_ TARDIS. We just happened to be at the same place at the same point in time." He rattled the information off, hoping Adric didn't bolt before he got it all out. "You are Adric from Alzarius in E-Space, a universe different than this one. You found my TARDIS while fleeing the Mistfall, and you stowed away. How would I know that if I wasn't the Doctor?"

Adric's shoulders dropped and he released a puff of air as if he'd been holding his breath. "Where is the proper Doctor?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Why is it everyone insists that the face they know is the only 'proper' face?"

The door creaks slightly, and the Doctor looks over his shoulder as Rose peeks inside. "And why is it _no one_ ever listens when I say _stay here_ and _don't wander off_?"

"I heard you talking and figured it was safe." Rose walked up the ramp, but he noted that she kept her distance. At least something he said had stuck with her. "Hello. I'm Rose."

Adric didn't answer, staring at Rose with wide eyes and an open mouth. The Doctor couldn't blame the boy… he was practically still an adolescent and Rose looked especially beautiful tonight. She would draw the attention of any male of any race in any century. The Doctor cleared his throat.

"Rose Tyler, meet Adric. Adric, this is Rose. She travels with me now." He winced internally at the generality of the explanation, but Rose didn't even look his way.

"Pleased to meet you," Adric stuttered out. Then he looked back to the Doctor. "Where am I? And Nyssa and Tegan?"

The Doctor dipped his chin, avoiding looking directly at Adric when he answered. "It's been, for me, hundreds of years since you traveled with me. You…" He had to tamp down the guilt that was a bitter bite in the back of his throat. "Left me a long, long time ago."

Rose closed the space between herself and Adric, laying a hand on his arm. "You all right?"

He nodded. "Just confused. I don't like being confused."

"And it's not something that happens very often," the Doctor said, angling his words to Rose but intending them fully for Adric's benefit. "Adric is a clever young man. One of the cleverest companions I've ever had."

Adric smiled, and some of the guilt released.

"Come on, then. Let's step outside and see if we can get you home." The Doctor turned down the ramp, Rose and Adric following. "You can tell me that you saw me, but giving the details of the ship won't help convince me. Since I am the future of myself and thus don't know what I am doing yet."

"Doctor, do you have any idea how confusing that is?" Rose said with a chuckle.

"Makes perfect sense to me."

"It would," she mumbled, and he heard the two of them chuckle behind him. The idea of them getting on pleased him, why he wasn't sure.

"Right then," he said, stepping into the evening air. He adjusted the setting on the screwdriver to 14 and held it straight over his head, pressing the button. The screwdriver hummed and the light atop the TARDIS swirled bright blue.

Past the trees a similar light lit up the night sky. "There you are! Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning… or… until you find the TARDIS."

"Thank you, Doctor." Adric started into the darkness, but turned back. "I'm glad to have met you. I should think I would have enjoyed traveling with you."

"I think so, too." Rose waved.

"Adric," the Doctor called after him before he disappeared into the night. "I know I don't say it, but I'm quite proud of you." He was proud of himself for refusing to let his voice waver at all. Or perhaps not at all, because Rose's attention shifted to him. He felt her watching him in the light of the console room. "Very proud."

Adric ran out into the darkness, following the pulsing blue light of the other TARDIS, and the Doctor figured Teeth and Hair would be trying to figure out why his proximity locator unit was beeping. He listened for awhile to the rustle of foliage as Adric moved away, and Rose joined him at his side, taking his hand.

"What happens to him?"

"He dies," he managed to say. "He dies trying to save Earth. I would guess not long from now."

Rose wrapped her hands around his arm, resting her cheek against his sleeve. "And you couldn't tell him. I'm sorry."

He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Yes! Well… time we're off before anyone else mistakenly wanders into the wrong TARDIS, ey?"

Inside, the Doctor moved to the navigation system to initiate re-entry into the Vortex, but paused with his hand near the controls. He looked over his shoulder at Rose, who leaned against the jump seat.

"I believe we were in the middle of a lesson," he said, reaching a hand out to her. Rose smiled and took it, letting him gentle guide to the space between him and the console. The silk of her dress slid against him and he angled his body with hers to whisper in her ear.

"Do you remember what I said? You have to feel her…"

He slid his hand down her leg until he reached the hem of her dress, drawing it back up her thigh until he felt the lace of her stockings. Rose hissed, tipping her head back and arching her back so her bottom pressed into his lap.

He used both hands then to finish drawing the skirt up over her bottom to reveal the sheer lace of her knickers. They covered just enough to entice, and _oh boy_, were they enticing! Her body threw off heat, and her breath hitched as he ran his hands over her skin, gripping her hips to pull her hard against him.

"Doctor!" she cried out.

The Doctor groaned, reached around her, and threw the dematerialization switch, thrusting them into the Vortex. He circled her waist to draw her back flush against him to kiss her neck and the exposed skin of her shoulder.

"We'll continue this later."

Rose nodded, and groaned a soft "Uh huh" before he swept her up and carried her out of the console room.


End file.
